What if Montee Ball stinks?It's a question we haven't really touched on too much here, so let's talk about it for a second. The Broncos are all-in on the aptly named running back, but what if Ball proves to be like, I don't know, Lance Ball?Clearly, that's the gamble the Broncos are taking, though I do believe that Montee Ball will be an effective starting back for your Denver Bro...

Young Mr. Ball is going to be a very good RB if he stays healthy. He was the Broncos best back at the end of last season, but they need depth. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Broncos draft a RB in May. After they find a middle linebacker.

I have no idea why people seem to think it is a big deal if Moreno doesn't come back????? He was basically a bust and mainly injured most of his career. Last year, while he had a decent year most of it was due to Manning and the passing game. It created a lot of space for him. Unfortunately, with his lack of burst and speed he would turn what should have been a 10-12 yard gain into a 5 yard gain. Look at this sobering stat: Moreno averaged two yards after contact, tied for 39th in the league. Moreno caused 21 missed tackles, which ranked 29th among running backs. I also believe he was near the top among running backs to have the most gains of 2 yards or less. Bottom line, he wasn't and clearly isn't the answer at running back. He will NOT be missed.

mlwlegal wrote:I have no idea why people seem to think it is a big deal if Moreno doesn't come back????? He was basically a bust and mainly injured most of his career. Last year, while he had a decent year most of it was due to Manning and the passing game. It created a lot of space for him. Unfortunately, with his lack of burst and speed he would turn what should have been a 10-12 yard gain into a 5 yard gain. Look at this sobering stat: Moreno averaged two yards after contact, tied for 39th in the league. Moreno caused 21 missed tackles, which ranked 29th among running backs. I also believe he was near the top among running backs to have the most gains of 2 yards or less. Bottom line, he wasn't and clearly isn't the answer at running back. He will NOT be missed.

mlwlegal wrote:I have no idea why people seem to think it is a big deal if Moreno doesn't come back????? He was basically a bust and mainly injured most of his career. Last year, while he had a decent year most of it was due to Manning and the passing game. It created a lot of space for him. Unfortunately, with his lack of burst and speed he would turn what should have been a 10-12 yard gain into a 5 yard gain. Look at this sobering stat: Moreno averaged two yards after contact, tied for 39th in the league. Moreno caused 21 missed tackles, which ranked 29th among running backs. I also believe he was near the top among running backs to have the most gains of 2 yards or less. Bottom line, he wasn't and clearly isn't the answer at running back. He will NOT be missed.

Moreno won't be missed if Montee and CJ can block.

And stay healthy.

Right now, we have 3 known backs on the roster plus Jerodis Williams (who ?) also listed on the roster. I don't mind the talent, but if any of them get hurt, it could be a problem. According to Rotoworld, the FA running backs left are:Andre BrownKnowshon MorenoMaurice Jones-DrewLeGarrette BlountMichael Bush La'Rod Stephens-HowlingJustin ForsettBernard ScottFelix JonesRonnie BrownWillis McGaheePhillip TannerKevin Smith

The Giants didn't want Brown, MJD thinks he is worth around 3 million per year, and there were rumors earlier that Knowshon would be with the Dolphins, but he priced himself out of that option.

I doubt the Broncos will give much more than a 1 year 1 million dollar contract for a backup RB.

Either we pick up one of the above on the cheap or wait for the draft and the UFA's.

A note to Ravenpic: Please don't get on this thread and suggest the Broncos pick a RB in the 1st or 2nd round like you have in about 5 other threads.

We need Moreno back or another veteran at his position. I don't want Manning having to carry to load for our team once again. I have had enough of that. If John Elway couldn't carry his team to a world title, why would we think that of Manning? I could care less that we are now in a passing league with teams thinking they can get by with a committee of running backs. Football wisdom of old is still the football wisdom of today. Listen, when December rolls around and it is playoff time, we need a legitimate threat at running back. We need someone who can take the load off of Manning's shoulders. This is something that Ball is not able to do at this point in his career. This is a young player learning the game and getting better. Trust me when I say that I like Ball but this is not his time to take a leadership role. He is expressing his hopes that he will be ready, but in reality, he has yet to lead a team to playoff victories. John Elway owes his two world titles in part to TD. Elite teams (defenses) can stop what you do best in one phase of the game. Elway learned that the hard way early in his career. TD exposed teams when they thought they could stop both the passing and running game. We will not win a world championship without an elite running back. Trust me when I say that is football wisdom, and without a proven back, we will be right back where we ended this past season.

Blue Nation wrote:Young Mr. Ball is going to be a very good RB if he stays healthy. He was the Broncos best back at the end of last season, but they need depth. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Broncos draft a RB in May. After they find a middle linebacker.

Being the "best back" on a team that gained, what, 20 yards in the biggest game of the year is not a badge of honor.

Repeat after me....The much maligned defense did not lose the Super Bowl...The blame goes to the Coaching staff and the High Flying Offense led by #18...

The terrible market for free agents running backs has raised the possibility of bringing back Knowshon. It's still a very slim chance because all parties will probably wait until after the draft and it's very possible that there will be another surge of energy in the market when teams are finalizing their moves pre-OTA.

The main argument for Knowshon has nothing to do with concerns about Montee's skill or development--Elway and Fox are obviously thrilled with him and have said so--it has to do with what the depth chart would look like in the event of an injury to Montee.

Where is CJ with his blocking and with his overall ability to keep up? Elway and Fox have a much better idea about this than we do. In 2013, there were always at least two healthy guys in front of CJ so we fans won't really get a full read on this until a few games into the season.

Plan A is a veteran backup for one million--or maybe one point five million. That's not Knowshon, so both sides would have to make some big moves from their current stances to even have a discussion.

Media memes are often misleading if not downright wrong. Over the long haul, all the NFL teams now spend approximately the same amount of money on their rosters, but they can still move quite a bit of cap impact from year to year, so all strategies are not created equal.

Understanding the Broncos 2014 free agency means understanding the consequences of two huge signings. They didn't just sign expensive guys, they deliberately made them more expensive in 2014 in order to lessen the impact on future years. That's a great move for 2015 but it makes for tight margins in the upcoming season.

One of the basic parameters of free agency is whether to concentrate your money or spread it around. The Broncos 2014 money is double concentrated. Fox recently said that for the Broncos free agency strategy to work Montee Ball, Kayvon Webster, and Sly Williams will have to step up. He didn't add the phrase "because there's no more money" but the point is there.

Their initial strategy didn't leave room for much else: Moreno, Phillips, the O line. They got Ward, and they might be able to sign one more mid-value guy by cutting Joel Dreesen, but that's about it. They need a bunch of value/depth signings and after the draft they will have just enough money to cover.

The big risk, of course, is that a problem with Ware or Talib has an increased impact because no money was invested in more depth. The 2013 Broncos proved that you can go pretty far with good backups, but in general bad things happen when the marquee players go sideways.

"Because you're mine, I walk the line".

Part of the Broncos philosophy is that when you make an investment in developing a guy, you go the extra mile. No one is giving up on the "problem children"--Hilman and Bolden. Going beyond the sophomores, great expectations are being nurtured for Irving, Wolfe, Jackson, and the dynamic duo of Moore and Carter at free safety. Part of those expectations is putting the money in other positions.

Last edited by retro-grouch on March 27th, 2014, 8:34 am, edited 2 times in total.

kenplant2007 wrote:All you need to know about what the Broncos thought of their RB's last year is that when push came to shove, they were more comfortable with Manning throwing inside the 10 than handing the ball off...

Ball is an average RB that will forever be compared to that other back that won the rookie of the year award and kept a certain team afloat until their future HOF QB got back from injury

Every team with a top end QB throws inside the ten now, it's how the game is played with the explosion of bigger receivers and tight ends that create huge match up problems for defenses. This HOF QB that you reference has long been one of the more prolific red zone passers in the league.

We'll see how their respective careers pan out, but in my opinion, Ball is going to emerge as a top ten back in the league for years to come.

As for Lacy "keeping" the team afloat, not so much, they went 2-4-1 w/o Rodgers. I'd call it more like a horrid division keeping the Packers afloat; the only teams they beat during that stretch were the Falcons and Cowboys and the Cowboys game was the direct result of another bonehead play by Romo. The Packers winning the division last season was a lot like the Broncos winning with an 8-8 record a few years back, someone has to represent the division in the playoffs.

kenplant2007 wrote:All you need to know about what the Broncos thought of their RB's last year is that when push came to shove, they were more comfortable with Manning throwing inside the 10 than handing the ball off...

Ball is an average RB that will forever be compared to that other back that won the rookie of the year award and kept a certain team afloat until their future HOF QB got back from injury

Every team with a top end QB throws inside the ten now, it's how the game is played with the explosion of bigger receivers and tight ends that create huge match up problems for defenses. This HOF QB that you reference has long been one of the more prolific red zone passers in the league.

We'll see how their respective careers pan out, but in my opinion, Ball is going to emerge as a top ten back in the league for years to come.

As for Lacy "keeping" the team afloat, not so much, they went 2-4-1 w/o Rodgers. I'd call it more like a horrid division keeping the Packers afloat; the only teams they beat during that stretch were the Falcons and Cowboys and the Cowboys game was the direct result of another bonehead play by Romo. The Packers winning the division last season was a lot like the Broncos winning with an 8-8 record a few years back, someone has to represent the division in the playoffs.

Your logic regarding the Packers record is interesting given I'm sure you think the 13-3 record was built on beating top flight competition. It's also why the logic that the broncos played so many playoff teams so they must have had a good schedule is a flawed. Someone had to win the terrible NFC East and AFC South...throw in the fact SD only got in because it took 3 teams to collapse...and KC was a mediocre to average team that played an even easier schedule than the Broncos

As for Lacy vs. Ball...Ball had 2 decent games against Oakland and TN...not exactly defensive stalwarts..what did the combo of him and Moreno do in the Super Bowl?

Repeat after me....The much maligned defense did not lose the Super Bowl...The blame goes to the Coaching staff and the High Flying Offense led by #18...

kenplant2007 wrote:All you need to know about what the Broncos thought of their RB's last year is that when push came to shove, they were more comfortable with Manning throwing inside the 10 than handing the ball off...

Ball is an average RB that will forever be compared to that other back that won the rookie of the year award and kept a certain team afloat until their future HOF QB got back from injury

Every team with a top end QB throws inside the ten now, it's how the game is played with the explosion of bigger receivers and tight ends that create huge match up problems for defenses. This HOF QB that you reference has long been one of the more prolific red zone passers in the league.

We'll see how their respective careers pan out, but in my opinion, Ball is going to emerge as a top ten back in the league for years to come.

As for Lacy "keeping" the team afloat, not so much, they went 2-4-1 w/o Rodgers. I'd call it more like a horrid division keeping the Packers afloat; the only teams they beat during that stretch were the Falcons and Cowboys and the Cowboys game was the direct result of another bonehead play by Romo. The Packers winning the division last season was a lot like the Broncos winning with an 8-8 record a few years back, someone has to represent the division in the playoffs.

I think we can all examine your post a little more closely when you mentioned Manning being one of the most prolific red zone passers in the league. He's been one of the best from any part of the field for a very long time. Even with his record breaking season last year, it's become pretty clear that teams are using the pass rush more in crucial situations because of Mannings inability to avoid the rush if he has to hold the ball more than 3 seconds and has someone breathing down his neck. Time catches up to even the best eventually.

I think its definitely time for Fox and Gase and Elway to have Manning quit thinking pass all the time and instead take the time necessary to develop the ground game. It's not a thing you can just turn on or off. You really need to commit to it. As long as Manning has free rein he is going to pass no matter what.

The comparison between Eddie Lacey and Montee Ball will be much more interesting after year two. So far:

The rushing volume title goes to Lacey, unsurprisingly because he didn't have a veteran starter on his roster. Slightly surprising, Ball was significantly more efficient while still having a big sample size of 120 carries.

The pass blocking is a good question, because both were rookies and presumably improved over the course of the season. Preliminary results are that each had his fair share of issues. Lacey blew a lot more blocks but as the RB1 he was more exposed to pressure. This is a huge issue for both teams. Rodgers missed 7 games and got sacked four times in the home playoff loss. Both sophomores need to pick it up.

Lacey's college career hinted at his qualities as a receiver out of the backfield but he seems to have had an advantage in volume, yards, and efficiency. We all saw that the release, catch, and turn is Montee's weakest area. That being said, 20 catches for 145 yards in your weakest area is not exactly a disaster.

Next year, with a solid two year sample, we should look at all the 2013 backs.

Last edited by retro-grouch on March 27th, 2014, 9:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

For all intents and purposes, Denver must look at this season as its final shot to win a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning. That's the mindset. That's why Elway went all Spearmint Rhino on free agents, making it rain with dollar bills.